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R. A. TELLER.

RAILROAD SWITCH.

APPLICATION FILED AUG-24,1915.

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RAILROAD SWITCH.

APPLICATION FILED AUG124| 1915.

, Patented. Au 15,1916.

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ROBERT A. TELLER, OF LEON, NICARAGUA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-FOURTH T0 DANIEL W.

TELLER, OF YORK, N. Y.

RAILROAD-SWITCH.

1,191,41ld1l.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patentqgqjl Aug. 15 1916.

Application filed August 24, 1915. Serial N 0. 47,133.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ROBERT A. TELLER, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Leon, Republic of Nicaragua, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in' Railroad-Switches, of which the following is a full, clear, fication.

This invention relates to a class oi apparatus adapted to be used in conjunction with railroad tracks.

My invention has for its object primarily to provide a railroad switch designed to be employed for permitting cars, railway engines, and the like to travel from one track to another whereby all danger of derailing the vehicle will be obviated as well as serving to prevent the cars, or engines from throwing the switch when set, and which is so constructed that its operation will not be obstructed by the accumulation of ice, or snow, or other foreign substances, thus overcoming the objections tov the forms of switches ordinarily in use on railroads.

This is accomplished mainly by providing two split rails, one of which cooperates with one of the rails of the main track, and the other cooperates with one of the rails of the side track. The split rails are adapted to be alternately raised or lowered so as to be accordingly engaged or disengaged by the wheels of the vehicle when being switched from one track to another.

Other objects of the invention are to provide a plurality of pairs of spaced connected adjusting elements, or cam faced. wheels which support the split rails, and these cam wheels are adapted to be rotatably moved whereby the split rails may be alternately raised or lowered; to provide a plurality of cradles, or guides, each of which is disposed in the groove. of each cam wheel to permit the wheels to be freely and accurately rotated; and to provide means which serves to operate all of the cam wheels in unison.

A further object of the invention is to provide a form of switch adapted for general use in conjunction with railroad tracks, and which is susceptible of being made so as to combine great strength and durability.

A practical embodiment of the invention is represented in the accompanying drawand exact specithe said invention being and then pointed out in the claims at the end of the description.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a top plan of a portion of railroad track showing one form of switch embodying my invention as used in conjunction therewith. Fig. 2 is a view, partly in section and. partly in detail, taken on the line 11-11 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is'a. view, partly in section and partly in detail, taken on the line III-III of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional View, partly in detail and partly broken away, taken on the line IVIV of Fig. 1, and which shows the-manner of use of the switch for switching a vehicle. Fig. 5 is an enlarged perspective view, partly broken away, of one of the pairs of cam wheels used in the switch. Fig. 6 is an enlarged view, showing a section through one of the cam wheels. Fig. 7 is an enlarged fragmentary view, showing one end of one of the split rails pivoted to one of the main rails of the track. Fig. 8 is a sectiontaken on the line VV of Fig. 7. Fig. 9 is an enlarged fragmentary side view of the other end of the split rail to which is mounted the form of plate for movably connecting the split to one of the main rails, and'Fig. 10 is an enlarged fragmentary View of the opposite side of the split rail shown in F ig. 9.

The switch has two split rails 10 and 11 which are employed at suitablev parts of railway tracks having the usual set of rails, as 12 and 13, and also a second set of rails, as 14 and 15, and-the split rails may be tied together by a suitable number of cross bars, as 15. The split rail 10 is adapted to cooperate with the rails 12 and 14, and the split rail 11 is adapted to cooperate with the rails 13 and 15 whereby cars, or engines, and like vehicles may be switched from one set of the tracks to the other set. The split rails 10 and 11 as well as the rails 12, 13, 14:, 15 are preferably of the usual forms having a head 16, web 17, and foot flange 18. The parts of the rails 12, 13, 14, 15 where the switch is used are mounted and rigidly held against movement on longitudinally disposed bars, as 19 and 20, and on cross-bars 21 and 22. One of the corresponding ends of each of the split rails 10 and 11 are pivotally connected, respectively, to each of the track rails 13 and 14 by tw plates 23 and 24. The plates 23 and 24 of each pair are substantially rectangular, and each pair of the plates have one of the corresponding end portions thereof rigidly connected by bolts 25 and26, or the like to the web of each of the track rails 13 and14. The opposite end,

portions of each pair of the plates are disposed against the adjacent parts oi the web of each of the split rails, and the central part of each pair is pivoted by a bolt, as 27, to the end portion of each of the split rails. In proximity to the ends of each pair of the plates 23 and 24 which are disposed against the webs of the split rails, are similar vert1- cally disposed curved slots 28 and 29, and held in an opening in the web of each rail is a bolt 30, and each of these bolts are movably guidedthrough the slots of each pair of the plates, the upper and lower edges of this end portion of each pair of the plates being cutaway on an-incline, as at 30 and 30*, to avoid obstructing the movements of the heads and base flanges of the split rails when raised and lowered. By pivoting the split rails 12 and 13 in this manner to the railsv 13 and 14 the other parts of the split railsmay be hingedly moved in upward and downward directions.

As shown in Fig. 1, the split rails are divergently disposed so that the opposite end of the split rail 10 abuts against the track rail 12, and the opposite end of the split rail 11 abuts against a corresponding part of the track rail 15. The head of this end part of each of the split rails is cutaway,

-or tapered, as at 31 and 32, and similar parts of the foot flanges of the split rails are also cutaway whereby these ends thereof will rest snugly against the track rails. Theadjacent parts of the foot flanges of the track rails 12 and 15 are also cutaway, and the tapered ends of the split rails are pivotally connected to these track rails by securing at the end. of each track rail a depending plate 33 having a slightly curved vertically dis posed slot 34 in the lower portion thereof.

' Secured by bolts, or otherwise to the underside of the cutaway part of the foot flange of each of the split rails 10 and 11 is a plate 35 having a depending flange through which is a hole 36 in register with t e slot 34 of the opposed depending plate 33. in the hole of each of the plates is held a pin, or bolt 37 and each bolt is movably disposed through the slot of the opposed depending plate 33. In this manner the tapered ends of the split rails 10 and 11 may be raised, or lowered relatively to the tracks'12 and 15. The slots in the depending plates 33 are con siderably longer than the slots 28 and 29 of the plates 23 and 24 so that thetapered ends of the split rails 10 and 11 will have a wider radius of movement than the ends of the split rails which are pivoted to the rails 13 and 14, thus when the split rails are lowered adjusting elements, or grooved cam faced wheels, as 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43. Each pair of the adjusting elements 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43 are correspondingly formed, and each pair has two disks 44 and 45, all of which are preferably circular in shapes, and may be of any desired diameters. The disks of each pair of the adjusting elements are'trans versely disposed in alinement at spaced intervals so that each disk of each pair of the elements is positioned under one of the split rails, and will rotatably abut against the outer edges of the foot flanges of the split rails. Extending toward each other from the opposed faces of the disks 44 and 45 of the'pair of adjusting elements 38 are camedged lugs, or extensions 46 and 47, both of which are approximately. elliptic in shapes and these disks are arranged so that the camedged lugs will be normally disposed crosswise with relation to each other. Projecting toward each other from the opposed faces of the disks 44 and of the pair of the adcam-edged lugs will be normally disposed relatively crosswise. On the opposed faces of the disks 44 and 45 of the pair of adjustingelements 40, and extending toward each other, are cam-edged lugs, or extensions 50 and 51, both of which are of shapes l approximately one-third of a circle, and these d1sks are arranged so that the camedged lugs will also be normally disposed crosswise with relation to each other. On the opposed faces of the disks 44 and 45 of the pair of adjusting elements 41, and extending toward each other. are cam-edged lugs, or extensions 52 and 53, both of which are of similar shapes of the cam-edged lugs 50 and 51, but of somewhat greater widths, and these disks are arranged so that the camedged lugs are normally disposed relatively crosswise. Extending toward each other from the opposed faces of the disks 44 and: 45 of the adjusting element 42 are cam-edged lugs, or extensions 54 and 55 both of which are substantially semi-circular in shapes, and these disks are arranged so that the camedged lugs will also be normally disposed crosswise with relation to each other. Projecting from the opposed faces of the disks 44 and 45 of the adjusting element -13. and extending toward each other, are cam-edged lugs, or extensions 56 and 57 both of which are of shapes approximately twp-thirds of llii moved rotatahly, in the a circle, and these disks are arranged so that the cam-edged lugs will be normally disposed crosswise with respect to each other. The split rails 10 and 11 rest upon the camedged lugs of the adjusting elements, and

the ends of each of the lugs formed by the junctures of the curved side edges thereof are cut away to provide suflicient bearings for supporting the split rails when elevated to the same plane as the rails of the main tracks, as illustrated in Fig, 3. By forming the cam-edged lugs, asshown and described, the side curvededges thereof which are in opposition to the split rails will be on a gradual incline relatively to a longitudinal plane when the adjusting elements are accordingly rotated. The split rail thus supported will by reason of its own weight be lowered on an incline, as shown in Fig. 2.

Each pair of the disks 44 and 45 and the cam-edged lugs thereof are rigidly held on the ends of a shaft 58. Each of the shafts is journaled' in vertically disposed spaced brackets, as 59 and 60, and each pair of the brackets are secured to a tie 61. For the purpose of permitting the adjusting elements 40 to be simultaneously rotated to alternately raise and lower the split rails 10, on the central part of each of the Shafts 58 is tightly held a sleeve 62, and extending downwardly from each of the sleeves is a finger 63. Pivotally connected to all of the fingers 63 is a longitudinally disposed bar, as 64. The end shaft 58 contiguous to the tapered ends of the split rails is of a length to extend some distance laterally of the tracks, and the free end of this shaft is journaled in a bracket 65, Fig. 1. Held upon this shaft is a hand-lever 66 which is arranged so that when swung in one direction the sleeves 62, the fingers 63, and the bar 64 will be swung to rotate the shafts 58 as well as all of the disks and the cam-edged lugs of the adjusting elements in unison. The cam lugs at one of the ends of the shafts will then be rotatably mov ed accordingly to raise one of the split rails for switching the cars traveling on the tracks. The second split rail will at the same time be lowered, and to reversely operate the split rails in this manner the lever 66 is swung in an opposite direction. i

Serving to permit the disks 44 and 45 of the adjusting elements to be accurately peripheral edge of, each of the disks is provided a groove 67. Each of the grooves (37 is of a length to extend approximately onehalf of the diameter of the disk, and disposed in each of the grooves 67 is an upwardly projecting. flange (38 of a form of cradle, or guide 69. The cradles, or guides 69 of each pair of the disks are supported on (meet the ties 61. The flange 68 of each of the cradles 69 has its r upper free edge curved to conform to the curvature of the groove of the disk in which it is disposed, and each flange is of a width to allow free movement of the disks thereon. By reason of the split rails 10 and 11 cooperating in the manner above explained with the rails of the tracks vehicles may be readily switched from one trackto another without danger of being derailed, and by the vertical raising and lowering of the split rails any accumulation of ice, or snow, or other foreign substances will be freed therefrom when operated to obviate obstruction of the travel on the tracks.

In the foregoing description, I have embodied the preferred form of my invention, but I do not wish to be understood as limiting myself thereto, as I am aware that modifications may be made therein without departing from the principle, or sacrificing any of the advantages of this invention, therefore I reserve to myself the right to make such changes as fairly fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. In arailroad switch having two split rails, one of which is adapted to cooperate with one rail of a track and the other split rail being adapted to cooperate with one of the rails of a side track, the split rails each having one end tapered, in combination with means pivotally connecting one end of each of thesplit rails to one of the rails of one track, means holding the tapered end of each split rail in'movable engagement with one of the rails of the second track, a plurality of pairs of irregularly curved cams supporting the split rails at spaced intervals, said cams being adapted to be simultaneously rotated for alternately raising the split rails relatively to their tapered ends from an incline to a level with the tracks or alternately lowering the split rails so as to be disposed on an incline with respect to the tracks, a plurality of shafts, each con necting one pair of the cams, bearings in which the shafts are journaled, and means operatively connecting all of the shafts whereby the cams may be manually rotated in unison.

2. In a railroad switch having two split rails, one of which is adapted to cooperate with one rail of a track and the other split rail being adapted to cooperate with one of the rails of a side track, the split rails each havingone end tapered, in combination with means pivotally connecting one end of each of the split rails to one of the rails of one track, means holding the tapered end of each split rail in movable engagement with one of the rails of the second track, a plurality of pairs of cams of varying curvatures supporting the split rails at spaced intervals, said Cains being adapted to be simultaneously rotated for alternately raising the split rails relatively to their tapered ends from an incline to a level with the tracks or alternately lowering the split rails so as to be disposed on an incline with respect to the tracks, a plurality of shafts, each connecting one pair of the cams, bearings in which the shafts are journaled, and means operatively connecting all of the shafts whereby the cams may be manually rotated'in unison. v

3. In a railroad switch having two split rails, one of which isadapted to cooperate with one rail of a track and the other split rail being adapted to cooperate with one of the rails of a side track, the split rails each having one end tapered, in combination with means pivotally connecting one end of each of the split rails to one of the rails of one track, means holding the tapered end of each split rail in movable engagement with one of the rails of the second track, a plurality of pairs of peripherally grooved wheels, a plurality of cam-faced lugs, one extending from each of the wheels, and supporting the split rails at spaced intervals, said grooved wheels and cam-faced lugs being adapted to be simultaneously rotated for alternately raising the split rails relatively to their tapered ends from an incline to a level with the tracks or alternately lowering the split rails so as to be disposed on an incline with respect to the tracks, and means operatively connecting all of the grooved wheels whereby said wheels and the lugs may be manually rotated in unison.

l. In a railroad switch having two split rails, one of which is adapted to cooperate with one rail of a track and the other split rail being adapted to cooperate with one of the rails of a side track, the split rails each having one end tapered, in combination with means pivotally connecting one end of each of the split rails to one of the rails of one track, means holding the tapered end of each split rail. in movable engagement with one of the rails of the second track, a plurality of pairs of peripherally grooved wheels, a plurality of cam-faced lugs, one extending from each of the wheels, and supporting the split rails at spaced intervals, said grooved wheels and cam-faced lugs beingadapted to be simultaneously rotated for alternately raising the split rails relatively to their tapered ends from an incline to a level with the tracks or alternately lowering the split rails so as to be disposed on an incline with respect to the tracks, a plurality of cradles, each supporting one of the grooved wheels, and means operatively connecting all of the wheels and the cam-faced lugs whereby each wheel may be manually rotated in unison.

, 5. In a-railroad switch having two split rails, one of which is adapted to cooperate with one rail of a track and the other split rail being adapted to cooperate with one of the rails of a side track, the split rails each having one end tapered, in combination with means pivotally connecting one end of each of the split rails to one o f the rails of one track, means holding the tapered end of each split rail in movable engagement with one I of the rails of the second track, a plurality of pairs of connected peripherally grooved wheels, a plurality of cam-faced lugs, one extending from each of the wheels, and supporting the split rails at spaced intervals, said grooved wheels and cam-faced lugs being adapted to be simultaneously rotated for alternately raising the split rails relatively to their tapered ends from an incline to a level with the tracks or alternately lowering the split rails so as to be disposed on an incline with respect to the tracks, a plurality of shafts one connecting each pair of the grooved wheels, a plurality of pairs of brackets, each pair rotatably supporting one of the shafts, a plurality of guides each disposed in the groove of each of the wheels for guiding the rotatable movement of the wheels, and means operatively connecting all of the shafts whereby the shafts and the grooved wheels may be manually rotated in unison.

This specification signed and witnessed this 5th day of December A. D. 19H.

ROBERT A. T ELLER.

l/Vitness H. H. LEONARD. 

